City of Phoenix finishes converting all street lights to LEDs

PHOENIX — The streets of Phoenix are now brighter in a more efficient way.

“The city of Phoenix recently completed a citywide conversion of nearly 100,000 standard street lights to LED [light-emitting diode],” Ashley Patton with the Street Transportation Department told KTAR News 92.3 FM on Tuesday.

This conversion approved by the Phoenix City Council is one of the largest completed by any U.S. city.

“As the fifth-largest city and fastest-growing city in the nation, I want to make Phoenix a model of sustainability for communities across the country,” Mayor Kate Gallego said in a press release.

.@StreetsPHX just got a whole lot brighter, in an efficient way! 💡
100,000 light fixtures across @CityofPhoenixAZ are now LED. They’re expected to reduce electricity by 53%, saving $3.5 million a year and prevent emissions of up to 18,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide a year. pic.twitter.com/MV74wCTUtB

— Ali Vetnar (@Ali_Vetnar) January 14, 2020

“These new LED street lights not only bring us one step closer to that goal, they also provide tremendous annual cost savings for residents.”

The city expects to save $3.5 million in annual energy costs by switching to the more energy-efficient fixtures.

The change reduced the amount of electricity needed to illuminate the streets by approximately 53% and prevents emissions of up to 18,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide a year — the equivalent of taking 3,800 cars off the road.

The city’s new street lights are 2,700 Kelvins, which is considered a warmer color temperature for LEDs.

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